Slurries are used in pavement construction and may comprise mixtures of portland cement, fly ash, lime, proprietary products, and/or other mineral or chemical admixtures, also called stabilizers, with water or another diluent. In the full-depth reclamation process, a method for rehabilitating pavements, road beds are typically prepared by pulverization, grading, and compacting before being topped with a wearing course such as concrete or asphalt. When full-depth reclamation in conjunction with stabilization is specified for a given project, the dry stabilizer, in powder form, is applied to the road base and/or sub-base layer(s) prior to the placement of a pavement wearing course. The powder is then mixed into the road base; the base is then compacted, graded, and shaped again as desired.
While this method of road bed treatment with a stabilizer, if properly applied, typically results in a suitable base for roads, the step involving the distribution of the dry powder almost inevitably generates fugitive dust. In addition to being harmful to humans and to the environment, the dust creates a cleanup problem, since some of the dust eventually settles and deposits itself on surrounding surfaces. For these reasons, the benefits of many forms of road bed stabilization are limited to open, rural areas. Although application in urban areas would be very desirable, the dust problems preclude the use of this technique. Because the clouds of fugitive dust are both inconvenient and harmful, it is advantageous to apply a slurry, instead of a powder, to a prepared road bed. Use of a slurry eliminates the clouds of dust and their associated problems. However, slurries are often imperfectly mixed and may contain debris from neglecting to properly clean the mixing chamber or exposure to the environment.
Due to the foregoing and other issues a need exists for an improved slurry spreader.